Control system



June 1943- D. 2. SHOULTS mm. 2,320,333

CONTROL SYSTEM Filed March 29, 1941 I u, HHIJ/IdNV lnventorsi David R. Shoults, Frederick E. Crever,

Their Attorney.

Patented June 1, 1943 aszessi common srs'ram David B.

Shollltl and Frederick E. Orever,

Schenectady, N. Y., alaignora to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application March 29, 1941, Serial No. 335,902

2 Claims. 172-293) This invention relates to control systems, more particularly to systems for controlling sectionalized apparatus or machines having a p1u rality of elements operating successively on a length of material and it has for an object the provision of a simple, reliable and improved control system of this character.

More specifically, the invention relates to control systems for sectionalized apparatus and machines in which an individual driving motor is provided for each section and in which the sections are required to operate in predetermined speed relationships with each other.

One example of a sectionallzed machine having a plurality of sections operating successively on a length of material is a sectionalized paper making machine. Owing to various conditions which are present in making different grades of paper, the web may either stretch or shrink between certain sections of the machine. On account of this change in length between sections which is referred to as draw, the sectional drive motors must operate in predetermined speed relationships with each other such that the web will neither be broken nor have loops formed therein between the sections.

Heretofore, integrating type regulators have been used to control the speed of each sectiona drive motor with relation to some master speed device to provide the required speed relationships between the sectional drive motors.

In general, these regulators have embodied an adjustable ratio of drive between the sections being driven and the motion transmitting device which operates one element of a differential device.

To change the speed of a sectional drive motor relative to the speed of the master device, it has been necessary to shift a belt on a pair of cone pulleys or make the appropriate ratio adjustment between the sectional motor and the regulator by other suitable means. The differential or integrating device then proceeded slowly to make the necessary change in the motor field setting thereby to bring the speed to the new value. This has been found to be disadvantageous in installations in which the changes in draw are made very slowly because in the systems described in the foregoing it has been neces sary for the operator to estimate the amount of draw by estimating the amount of dis lacement between relative motions. and because of the difliculties in estimating the phase displacement between relative motions the operator has never has been completed. Therefore, a further object of this invention is the provision of a regulating system having greatly increased speed of response.

Furthermore, the speed regulating systems used heretofore have embodied large amounts of expensive apparatus and accordingly a further object of this invention is the provision of a regulating system in which the amount of control apparatus required is substantially reduced and in which the cost is likewise materially reduced. 1

In carrying the invention into eflect in one form thereof, the voltage of a generator which may be either the adjustable voltage supply generator for the sectional motor or the exciter for the supply generator, is utilized as a master or reference voltage with which the speed of each of the sectional drive motors is compared. This comparison is accomplished by providing a tachometer generator to be driven by each sectional motor and means responsive to the diftachometer generator for controlling the speed of the sectional motor so as to reduce this differential voltage to a predetermined value which is preferably substantially zero. provide speed adjustment for the draw between sections, means are provided for comparing the tachometer generator voltages with the selectable portions of the exciter or supply generator voltage.

For a better and more complete understanding of the invention, reference should now be had to the following specification and to the accompanying drawing of which Fig. 1 is a simple diagrammatical illustration of an embodiment of the invention and Fig. 2 is a simple diagrammatical illustration of a modification.

Referring now to the drawing, a plurality of elements which operate successively on a length of material, such for example as the rolls l0 and II of a paper making machine, are driven by motors I 2. and I3 respectively. Although but two sections of the paper making machine are indicated in the drawing, it will be understood that a paper making machine actually has a much larger number of sections. However, two sections are sufllcient to illustrate the present invention.

Although the motors l2 and I3 may be of any suitable type, they are preferably direct current motors and are supplied from a suitable source been completely certain when a change in draw of power such as represented by the adjustable In order to voltage generator l4 to the terminals of which the motors l2 and I3 are connected by means of conductors l5 and I5. It may be assumed that the conductor I5 is the positive supply bus and that the conductor I5 is the negative supply bus. The motors l2 and I3 are provided with main field windings l2. and I3 respectively and with commutating field windings I21, and l3b respectively. The generator I4 is provided with a main field winding l4; which is supplied from a suitable source of excitation such as represented by the exciter H. The supply generator l4 and exciter I! are driven by any suitable driving means (not shown) at a speed which is preferably substantially constant.

The. field windings I21 and I3- of the sectional drive motors l2 and 13 are supplied from the exciter I1 to which they are connected by means or conductors l8 and [9. The conductor l8 may be considered to be the positive bus and the conductor l9 may be considered to be the negative bus.

The exciter I1 is provided with a self-excited field winding l'h. Suitable voltage regulating means are provided for maintaining the voltage oi. the exciter constant at some desired 'pre determined value such for example as 250 volts. The voltage regulator 20 comprises a voltage responsive element of the torque motor type which is balanced against a spiral spring 2|. The torque motor directly operates a wide range, quick acting rheostat. The stator of the torque motor comprises a U-shaped magnetic core 22 upon which is mounted a D. C. coil 23. The rotor member is a bar type armature 24 of magnetic material mounted on a shaft between the poles of the stator core in such a way that the armature tends to align itself with the stator pole pieces when the coil 23 is energized. The spiral spring 2| mounted on the torque motor shaft tends to rotate the armature in a clockwise direction. The torque motor armature 24 is connected by a link to the rheostatic element 25 so as to operate the rheostatic element directly.

The torque motor armature has suiiicient torque to counterbalance that exerted by the spiral spring and rheostatic element, and. it is designed to hold a current in the coil 23 that varies only slightly with the position of the rheostatic element. In other words, regulator 20 is designed to have a slightly drooping characteristic.

The rheostatic element is composed of a stack of special non-metallic resistance material.

When the coil 23 is deenergized and the rotor i 24 is held in the position illustrated by the spiral spring 2|, maximum pressure is applied to the stack 25 and the resistance is minimum. When the coil 23 is energized and the rotor member exciter I1 is at the normal predetermined and desired value, the current in the energizing winding 23 is of such a value that all the forces of the regulator are balanced and the rotor is stationary. The voltage regulator for the supply generator l4 comprises an amplifier or the electronic type shown in detail within the dotted rectangle 25 and a. unit 21 which is substantially identical with the unit 23 described in the fore going. The amplifier 25 is designed and connected to respond to the differential voltage between a selectable portion of the voltage of exciter l1 and the terminal voltage of the supply generator I4. For the purpose of selecting a portion of the voltage of exciter I! with which the voltage of the generator I4 is to be compared, a motor driven potentiometer 28 is provided. This potentiometer comprises a resistance element 28: connected across the exciter buses I8 and I3, the

stationary contact rail 28b connected to the posi-,

tive supply generator bus l5 and a movable contact member 280 which bridges the contact rail 28b and the resistance element and which is advanced or withdrawn by means of the motor driven screw 28a when the pilot motor 28c is energized. As shown, the pilot motor 28 is provided with a split series field winding and may be connected to a supply source 23 through one or-the other of the split series field windings in response to operation or one or the other of the manually operated type push button switches 30 and 3|.

It may be assumed that when the push button 3i is depressed to bridge its stationary contacts, the motor 28 is connected to the source 23 to rotate in a direction to movethe contact member 28 upward thereby to increase the portion of the exciter voltage with which the voltage of generator I4 is to be compared, and that when the ,push button 38 is depressed to bridge its staregulator 21 acts as a.power output device. Am-

plifier 26 isessentially a two-stage electronic amplifier employing a pentode valve 33 as a voltage amplifier and a beam power amplifier tube 34. The device contains a rheostat 35 for adjustment of sensitivity and also contains a rheostat 35 for adjustment of voltage level or bias and'also has provision for"anti-hunting. All-filament, anode, screen, and grid potentials are obtained from the exciter buses l8 and I8 through suitable voltage dividers. The filaments of the two valves are connected in series with each other and with resistors 31, 38 and 39 across the exciter buses l8 and I9. Another voltage divider circuit is formed by resistors 40, 4| and the rheostat 35. This voltage divider circuit provides the screen and cathode voltages of the pentode valve 33. The two valves are coupled together by connecting the grid 34. of valve 34 to the junction of resistors 42 and the anode 01 valve 33. Resistor 42 is the anode circuit load for the valve 33. The anode circuit load for valve is the main coil of the regulator 21. Resistor 44 is connected across this coil as a discharge resistance. Resistor 45 and capacitor 45 constitute an input filter for the pentode valve 33.

It will be noted that the upper terminal of the resistor 35 is connected to the negative supply generator bus l5. The lower terminal of the resistor 35 is connected to the negative exciter bus l3. Since the positive supply generator bus I5 is connected to a point of intermediate voltage on potentiometer 28 which is connected across the exciter buses i3 and i3, it will be clear that there is applied to the terminals of resistor 35,,a voltage which is equal to the difference between the voltage of supply generator l4 and that portion of the exciter voltage which is selected by the movable contact arm 23 of the potentiometer. Resistor 35 is provided with a movable contact mem-' ber 35. so that either all of this difference voltage or a selectable portion of it, depending upon the setting, is applied to this movable contact member 35. which connects through a feedback coil 21- on the regulator 21 through resistors 45- and 45 to the grid of valve 33. The secondary winding of a stabilizing transformer 41 is connected in parallel with the resistor 45-. Thus, the difference between the voltage of gen tor i4 and the selected portion of the exciter vo tage i1 is applied between the grid and cathode of valve 33 through the feedback coil 21. on the regulator and the secondary of thestabilizing transformer 41 in such a way as to make the grid of valve 33 more negative with respect to the negative exciter bus I! and hence more negative with respect to its cathode, which operates at a fixed voltage with respect to the negative exciter bus IS. A more negative grid voltage of valve 33 decreases its anode current and hence its anode becomes more positive. Therefore, the grid of valve 34 becomes more positive and this increases the anode current of valve 34 and thereby inerator i 4 thereby to increase the voltage of the I generator and to reduce the difference between the generator voltage until the difference between the generator voltage and the selectable portion of the exciter voltage is a predetermined low value which is preferably substantially zero.

Thus the voltage of the supply generator i4 is compared with a selectable portion of the exciter voltage and, by the action of the regulator just described, is matched with and maintained equal to the selectable portion of the exciter voltage.

For the purpose of comparing the speed of the sectional motor I2 with the voltage of the exciter I! or a selectable portion thereof, a potentiometer resistance 48 is connected from the negative exciter bus I! to the positive generator bus I which in turn is connected to the movable contacts 23 of the potentiometer 23 which is connected across the exciter buses l8 and I9. An alternating current tachometer generator 49 is connected to the shaft of the sectional motor l2 so as to be driven thereby and to generate a voltage proportional to 21 and accordingly, a repetition of the description of this device is omitted. Since the amplifier 53 is identical with the amplifier contained within the dotted rectangle 23 it is shown conventionally in the drawing for the purpose of simplification.

For the purpose of comparing the speed of the sectional motor i3 with the voltage of the exciter II, a potentiometer 54 is provided at the section driven by motor I3 and has the same connection to the system as the potentiometer 48 at the section driven by motor l2. A tachometer generator 55 is driven by the sectional drive motor l3 and generates an alternating voltage proportional to the speed of motor i3. This alternating voltage is rectified by means of the full wave rectifier 56, one output terminal of which is connected to the movable contact 54. of the potentiometer 54 and the other output terminal of which is connected to one terminal of the potentiometer 51 which corresponds to the potentiometers 35 and 5| already described. The regulating device for the section driven by motor i3 is completed by a unit 53 corresponding to the regulating units 21 and 52 and with an amplifier 59 which is identical with the amplifiers 26 and 53. In order to provide for draw-adjustment between the sections driven by the motors I 2 and i3, the movable contact 54; may be moved to any selected point on the potentiometer 54 which is calibrated in terms of draw adjustment. By this means the speed of the motor I3 can be compared and matched with a selected portion of the voltage of exciter l1 and maintained at this value by means of theregulating device comprising the unit 58 and. the amplifier 59.

With the foregoing understanding of the elements and their organization in the completed system, the operation of the system itself will readily be understood from the following detailed description: It is assumed that the gen erator l4 and the exciter I! are being driven by their driving means at a suitable speed and are generating the voltages which they are designed to generate.

The regulator 20 maintains the voltage of the exciter l1 constant at a value determined by the setting of the rheostat 60, in the manner described in the foregoing.

Similarly, the regulating device comprising the I I regulating unit 21 and the amplifier 26 regulates the voltage of the supply generator -14 to a value the speed of sectional motor l2. In order to compare the alternating voltage of tachometer the exciter II, it is necessary to rectify the alternating voltage and for this purpose a full wave rectifier 50 of the surface contact type such as the well known copper oxide rectifier, is provided. One output terminal of the rectifier 50 is connected to fixed point 43. on the potentiometer 48 and the other output terminal is connected to the upper terminal of potentiometer 5i and thence through the feedback coil 52; of regulating unit 52 to the grid of an amplifier 53 which is identical with the amplifier shown within the dotted rectangle 26 and described in detail in the foregoing. The potentiometer resistor 5i corresponds'with theresistor 35 of the amplifier shown in the determined by the setting of the motor driven potentiometer 28, as described in the foregoing. The sectional drive motor i2 operates at a speed which is proportional to the voltage of the supply generator i4 and is maintained constant at a value such that the voltage generated by the tachometer generator 49 driven by the motor I2 is equal to a selected portion of the exciter voltage. If the speed of the motor I2 should increase above the desired predetermined value, the difference voltage between the tachometer generator 48 and the exciter I! would increase, and this increased difference voltage would cause the amplifier 53 to supply an increased current to the main operating coil 52b of regulator 52. In response to this increased current, the rotor of regulator 52 will be rotated in a clockwise direction to increase the pressure on the stack of nonmetallic resistance element 6| thereby to increase the current flowing in the field winding l2; of motor l2. The increased field strength of motor l2 reduces its speed, This continues until a balanced condition is reestablished.

If the speed of the motor i2 decreases below driven by motor I2 already described, with theexception that the speed of the motor I 3 can be varied in accordance with the required draw adjustment to provide any desired speed relationship between the motor l3 and the motor I2 by movement of the movable contact 542. to the correct position on the calibrated potentiometer The modified system of Fig. 2 differs from the system of Fig. 1 in that the voltage of the supply generator 62 is not compared with nor regulated by the voltage of the exciter 63. As in the system of Fig. 1, the voltage of the exciter 63 is maintained constant by means of a regulating device 64 that'is identical with the regulating device 20 of Fig. 1. For maintaining the voltage of the supply generator 62 constant a regulating device 65, which is similar to the regulating device 64, is provided. The main coil 65a of this regulator is connected across the terminals of the generator 62 and the resistance element 66.. of the motor operated rheostat 66 is connected in series with the operating coil 65a of the regulator. The motor operated rheostat 66 adjusts the setting of the regulator 65 so that the regulator 65 maintains the voltage of the.

supply generator 62 constant at a predetermined but adjustable value. The operation of the regulators 64 and 65 is in all respects identical with the operation of the regulator 20 of Fig. 1 and accordingly a repetition of the description of the operation is omitted in the interest of brevity.

The control for the sectional drive motors 61' and 68 is identical with the control for the sectional drive motors l2 and [3 ,of Fig. 1 with the exception that the tachometer generators 68 and 10 which provide the control voltages proportional to the speeds of the sectional drive motors 61 and 68 are of the direct current permanent magnet type, and with the further exception that the potentiometers H and 12 are connected with the terminals of the supply generator 62 at the same point that the coil 65a. of the generator voltage regulator 65 is connected. The connection of the rheostats H and 12 directly to the terminals of the supply generator eliminates the efiect of line drop and thereby increases the accuracy of the control.

The structure and interconnections of the speed regulators 13 and I4, the electronic amplifiers I and 16, and the stabilizing transformers l1 and 18 are identical with the structures and interconnections of the corresponding elements in the modification of Fig. 1.

The operation of the controls for the sectional drive motors 61 and 68 is identical with the operation of the controls for the sectional drive motors l2 and I3 of Fig. 1 with the exception of the tachometergenerators 89 and I0 generate a direct voltage instead of an alternating voltage.

and accordingly a detailed description is omited applying that principle, it will be understood that the apparatus shown and described is merely illustrative and that the invention is not limited thereto since alterations and modifications will readily suggest themselves to persons skilled in the art without departing from the true spirit of this invention or from the scope of the annexed claims.

What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 01' the United States is:

1. A control system for a sectionalized machine having a plurality of elements operating successively on a length of material subject to stretch or shrinkage between said elements comprising an individual electric motor for driving each of said elements, an adjustable voltage generator for supplying said motors, said generator being provided with a field winding, an exciter for exciting said field winding, a regulator for maintaining the voltage of said exciter substantially constant, a second regulator responsive to the voltage of said generator for maintaining the voltage of said generator substantially constant, a speed regulator for each of said motors comprising a tachometer generator driven by each of said motors and means responsive to the difference between a portion of said generator voltage and the voltage of said tachometer for controlling the assoclated motor to reduce said diiIerential voltage to a predetermined low value, and means for varying said portion of said generator voltage for certain of said speed regulators thereby to cause said motors to operate in predetermined speed relationship with each other.

2. A control system for a sectionalized machine having a plurality of elements operating successively on a length of material subject to stretch or shrinkage between said elements comprising an individual electric motor fordriving each of 'said elements, an adjustable voltage generator,

for supplying said motors, said generator being provided with a field winding, an exciter for exciting said field winding, a regulator for maintaining the voltage of said exciter substantially constant, a second regulator responsive to the voltage of said generator for controlling the excitation of said generator to maintain the voltage 01. said generator substantially constant, a speed regulator for each of said motors comprising a direct voltage tachometer generator driven by each of said motors, and means responsive to the difierence between a portion of said supply generator voltage and the voltage of said tachometer generator for controlling the associated motor to reduce said difierential voltage to a. predetermined low value, and means fOr varying said portion of said generator voltage for certain of said speed regulators thereby to cause said motors to operatein predetermined speed relationship with each other.

DAVID R. SHOULTS. FREDERICK E. CREVER. 

